Just some observations....I got these from others and just keep seeing these confirmed over and over:
Young women will--to a great percentage--have a BF or make it appear like they have a BF, or, at the least, keep the issue fuzzy enough so that it could be that she has one.
The younger they are, the more true it is.
Social perception is king, and all else flows from it. Example: fashion--even if the current fashion is, uh, unflattering to her, she will still wear it. The younger, the more true this is...
Another? Relationships--societal perception as king is how her friends would view you as her BF--if they disapprove or you would be an embarrassment for her, you have little chance. If other women show interest in you, she's interested.
And--keeping in mind social perception as king here--what she wants to avoid is the appearance of not having a BF, which--in chick logic--is taken to mean that she can't get one, that she can't attract one, which means she's a loser. She's a loser in the sense that women's assets are what attracts guys--those hormone crazed things that hit on anything that moves. And if she can't get something in that environment...LOSER!
I'm not defending it, that's how the emotional and societal equation plays out.
The younger they are (HS+) the more this is true.
In the 20s, they have to have had a LTR of some sort. I heard of a survey that found most women would prefer to have a divorce on their record than to not ever have had a LTR.
So--Becker--the young ones will keep a BF around as her "social proof" of not being a loser. Being alone is socially costly to her. This explains why they do the "monkey girl" thing of making sure her next guy is lined up before dumping her current BF. It explains why they can handle juggling a couple of guys almost naturally, and why, when they have a BF, they keep a couple AFCs hopeful and waiting in case things don't work out with the BF.
And it gets more dangerous as they hit their 30s---marriage becomes a deadly mission at this point (granted, not for every woman, ok?)
Once they get past those ages, though, (40s+) you'll find that a lot of them get released from this--not all, but a fair portion--where they seem more able to think independently than follow the current fashion, keep up appearances, etc.
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On a side note, I often find myself disagreeing with MysteryWoman for the most part while agreeing to a point (as here.) She has defensible points and can defend them. But from reading a number of her prior posts, she strikes me as out of step with this common female experience. This isn't a cut or flame--she has a strong voice and seems to know her own mind more readily than most. People like this are--what?--independent--? Sure, which, by definition, means they're not really in step with everyone else (otherwise you wouldn't note their independence.) They're not necessarily out of step, but often so...
Anyway, look around you with the idea of 'social perception as king' and see what jumps out by way of explanation.